Thursday, January 31, 2008

"15-yeard old Sarah's wish is granted when her baby brother, Toby, is taken away to the land of the Goblins. Upon learning that she only has 13 hours before Toby will be transformed into a goblin, there is only one hope: Sarah must find the way to the Goblin King's castle - through a dangerous labyrinth - where she encounter strange creatures and forms unlikely friendships along the way." Luciferlu

"One, Two, Three" is great comedy about a Berlin Coca-Cola sales representative (James Cagney) that must take care of his boss's vacationing daughter, who eventually elopes with fanatical Communist on the same day that the boss is coming to Germany to take her home.

One of the strengths of the film is that while it pokes fun at Russians and Germans and Europeans in general, it does not spare Americans or even stereotypes of men and women in it's barbs. Even the lead, James Cagney, portrays a charecter that is greedy, selfish and lecherous - and you find yourself rooting for him anyway.

The film starts off as being fast paced and hectic, and then it just keeps escalating. By the end of the film the pace is like a runaway freight train. Luckily, it never actually falls into the standard hackneyed Hollywood "zany" or "madcap" comedy.

James Cagney is perfect for the role of the pushy, self-serving Coca-Cola sales representative. I am not a big fan of James Cagney, although he does seem to be very popular among film buffs. I did like the scene where he ventilated a car's truck in "White Heat", but all of his films seem to blur together in my mind after a while. Also, I like some musicals, and Cagney is a decent hoofer, but "Yankee Doodle Dandy" is just way too silly for me.

Other films directed by Billy Wilder are "Double Indemnity", "The Lost Weekend", "Sunset Boulevard", "Stalag 17", "Witness for the Prosecution", "Some Like It Hot", "The Fortune Cookie", and my personal favorites, "The Front Page", "The Seven Year Itch", "Sabrina".

A ripple effect was felt on NASDAQ as an immediate shift in the value of Necco was reported on the Stock Market. Google Finance reported the events that took place at the LGPPP and the Zaius Nation on their stock page for American Capital Strategies, Ltd. (NASDAQ:ACAS) As of the moment that this is being written, the report is still on the page. You can also see the images below for confirmation of this event. (I only noticed it because I have been getting a fair amount of traffic from the site.)

Ms. Gregarious and I have hired artist Denise Tassin [ 2 ] to create Necco images for the public that shall put the wafers in a more positive light in the media.

Negotiations with the Necconians shall begin immediately. Dguzman has offered his concern for the pressing importance of this issue, and FranIAm has expressed an interest in the utilizing the talents of her favorite neo-conservative, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, to act as a figurehead in these negotiations.

I can't begin to agree with FranIAm's choice on this issue, and Ms. Gregarious and I both feel that in matters that are this serious, we must bring in the talents of a seasoned professional.

We should not view the recent Necco gunboat incident in the Gulf of Tonkin as an act of overt aggression. The unfortunate incident took place in international waters, and there seems to be some question as to the identity of the radio personality that taunted our naval personnel.

I would like to assuage the false fears or "domino theory" of an expanding Necco empire. The details of the recent escalation are as follows:

I must admit that I have always been partial to these romantic candies. I don't actually eat them, but I do find their sentimental messages are very endearing. It seems that in addition to their existing messages, this year Necco is adding a whole new batch of heartfelt communiqués:

The New England Confectionery Company (NECCO®) is looking to the skies this Valentine’s Day and encouraging Americans to weather the storm of love!

The 2008 edition of Sweethearts® Conversation Hearts, an iconic part of Valentine’s Day for more than 100 years, honors Mother Nature and the unpredictability of weather – and relationships.

I was initially incredulous, but I found myself very intrigued by the fact that the scent contains an ingredient that I thought could only be found in the words of a Motown back up singer - I am of course referring to "ylang ylang":

Okay, this is pretty cute. To tie in with Valentine's Day, Demeter has launched three new scents, all based on Sweethearts candy. The collection is a little kitschy, but because these candies remind me of grade-school Valentine's parties, it's also something I'd be interested in smelling.

You might imagine these scents to be sugary sweet, but instead, they're florals. I feel like Demeter's fragrances are hit-or-miss, but these sound promising.

"Love Me" is a light, fruity floral with notes of orange, lemon, peach, white rose, ylang ylang, and a bit of musk and vanilla.

"Call Me" is sweet and citrusy, with notes of lemon zest, jasmine, honeysuckle, water lotus and white rose.

These scents are available as lotions and shower gels ($11.50–$14.50) along with the regular cologne sprays ($20–$39.50). But since you can order a 0.5 ounce mini-splash for just $5, I think that's the way to start. Bella Sugar

I am Sure that any Necco candy scent will smell as good as Necco wafers taste!

Recent scientific taste tests of the Necco products indicate that the flavors of Necco Wafers are distinctly, ahem, different enough from the flavors of regular American candy as to not cause undue competition in the overall confectionery market.

Perhaps of far greater concern to the American public is the recent sale of the Necco candy company to a shady division of the military industrial complex:

Investors buy out Necco candy companyThe New England Confectionary Company, the candy maker famous for Necco wafers and Sweethearts Conversation Hearts, has been sold to a group of investors.

American Capital Strategies Ltd. said it partnered with Yoyodyne Propulsion Systems and Necco’s chief executive Dr. Emilio Lizardo in the deal. Boston Herald

With Valentine's Day around the corner, now is not the time to quibble about candy. Now is the time to save an important American institution - the Necco candy heart. I have contacted Jon the Intergalactic Gladiator to look into the matter more thoroughly.

Remember, YouTube videos are like soup. You don't have to eat the whole bowl to find out that you don't like it. You can usually tell after the first few mouthfuls. (Get away from me with that pickaxe you malevolent, maloderous munchkin! I have absolutely no intention of "whistling while I work"!)

Friday, January 25, 2008

I sat though as much of the Republican debate last night as I could, and then I switched channels to "Love Story", which was on American Movie Classics last night. I had not seen the film since I saw it on telelvision when I was in junior high. (I was too young to see it when it came out in the theaters, so I saw it on TV.)

The story was so sad! It's odd that I never cry during emotional moments in real life, but I always get all weepy at sad movies. Also, what makes the film espeacially sad is that Ryan O'Neil promises Ali McGraw to name their first child Bozo Barrett (only if it is a boy, of course), and we never actually get a chance to see this take place.

Since this whole "Barack Obama invoked Ronald Reagan" meme started, it seems to be just getting bigger and bigger [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,etc. ] with no end in sight, I think maybe the public and the MSM should dig a little deeper into the story rather than merely repeat what other's might be saying. This is only my opinion, and this is not a black and white issue. I can only give my own perspective on this.

Let me also say that though I favor Obama at this time, I would have no trouble voting for Hillary Clinton or John Edwards as the Democratic presidential candidate. I do find these tactics on the Clinton's part sort of sleazy, and these tactics do nothing to endear me to their campaign. If their motive was to get gain votes by attacking Obama, then I feel that it is a foolish endeavour.

I also feel that perhaps the issue is not being looked at from all of the angles, nor is the story being repeated accurately.

For starters, despite what Hillary Clinton supporter Paul Krugman said, Barack Obama never said that Reagan "had it right." And although I can find many faults in the Reagan presidency, I think it was entirely fair for Obama to say that he was very popular with both Republicans and Democrats, which is what Obama was really talking about. He was also making a dig at Bill Clinton's presidency. (Heaven forbid that he stoop to politics during an election!)

This whole "Obama invoked Ronald Reagan" issue really hit the fan after the recent Democratic debate on CNN, where this exchange took place:

CLINTON: Now, I just -- I just want to be clear about this. In an editorial board with the Reno newspaper, you said two different things, because I have read the transcript. You talked about Ronald Reagan being a transformative political leader. I did not mention his name.

OBAMA: Your husband did.

CLINTON: Well, I'm here. He's not. And...

OBAMA: OK. Well, I can't tell who I'm running against sometimes.

(APPLAUSE)

CLINTON: Well, you know, I think we both have very passionate and committed spouses who stand up for us. And I'm proud of that.

But you also talked about the Republicans having ideas over the last 10 to 15 years.

OBAMA: I didn't say they were good ones.

CLINTON: Well, you can read the context of it.

OBAMA: Well, I didn't say they were good ones.

CLINTON: Well, it certainly...

OBAMA: All right, Wolf.

CLINTON: It certainly came across in the way that it was presented, as though the Republicans had been standing up against the conventional wisdom with their ideas. I'm just reacting to the fact, yes, they did have ideas, and they were bad ideas.

CLINTON: You talked about Ronald Reagan being a transformative political leader. I did not mention his name.

OBAMA: Your husband did.

CLINTON: Well, I'm here. He's not.

So Hillary Clinton is saying that she and her campaign are separate from whatever Bill Clinton says. Hillary Clinton is saying that Obama is not allowed to bring up what her husband says on the campaign trail, because he is not in the room, he is separate in some way. Hillary Clinton says, "I did not mention [Ronald Reagan's] name," thus saying that Obama cannot bring up the subject with her, only with Bill Clinton.

This is not a valid argument. Either Bill Clinton is part of the campaign, and is thus as accountable as his wife for statements made, or he should not be talking to the press. There is no middle ground.

Obama responds, "OK. Well, I can't tell who I'm running against sometimes," to which Hillary Clinton says, "Well, you know, I think we both have very passionate and committed spouses who stand up for us. And I'm proud of that."

This is not a valid argument either. The only way it could be a valid argument is if Barack Obama's wife, Michelle were:

1.) Saying things about Hillary Clinton's ability to lead the nation as President of the United States to the press.

2.) If the press treated her as some kind of expert on politics, like say how an ex-President of the United States would be treated.

3.) If the press actually gave her an equal amount of time to speak about politics on the air.

The press does not even give equal time to John Edwards, a viable presidential candidate. (Or at least he was, before the press started to all but completely ignore him.) The idea that Michelle Obama is able to speak at the same table as Bill Clinton is ridiculous. The last time I saw Michelle Obama on the news was well over a month ago.

Although I would support Hillary Clinton as a presidential candidate, I find her use of this kind of rhetoric rather vapid and disappointing.

This kind of mud slinging seems especially hypocritical when compared to Hillary Clinton's own comments about Ronald Reagan, which might be considered equally disturbing:

Former President Bill Clinton and his wife, Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, issued a statement that praised the former president for his optimistic outlook.

"Hillary and I will always remember President Ronald Reagan for the way he personified the indomitable optimism of the American people, and for keeping America at the forefront of the fight for freedom for people everywhere," their statement said. CNN, via Daily Kos

It appears that at the moment any mention of Ronald Reagan is a thought crime in much of the liberal blogosphere, as well as in the Clinton and Edwards camps. In reviewing the recent smears on Obama based upon misrepresenting his statement on Ronald Reagan, I noted that Hillary Clinton’s own campaign web site contains a statement in which Clinton lists Reagan among her favorite presidents. Perhaps that comes from being an old Goldwater Girl herself.Clinton supporters now say that she only said that she included Reagan among a list of presidents whose pictures she would hang up at the White House. Even that would be far more of an act of support for Ronald Reagan than anything Barack Obama actually said. I guess at least that excuse would be better than a Clintonian discussion over what the meaning of "favorite" is.

And if we are going to continue to discuss what Obama said about Ronald Reagan, shouldn't we remember a few things about the man that is pushing this meme so hard on the evening news - I am speaking of course about Bill Clinton.

"Abandoning the traditional Democratic role of improving life for the working stiff, Clinton did things that Reagan and Bush could only dream of. Twelve years of a Republican in the White House couldn't make NAFTA a reality. It took Bill Clinton to push through a trade bill that guaranteed the loss of hundreds of thousands good-paying American jobs and did nothing to raise the standard of living for the Mexican worker."

"As loud as Reagan and Bush complained about lazy welfare queens, it was Bill Clinton who got Congress to eliminate the federal welfare program. And he threw in a bonus -- he INCREASED welfare for the rich in the form of tax breaks, incentives for business and overseas development."

"Ronnie & George the First never could have gotten away with this. The Democrats in Congress would have been all over them in an attempt to look like they were sticking up for 'the little guy.'" Michael Moore

OK, so who would you listen to, the guy who mentioned Ronald Reagan's popularity in a positive light, or the guy who enacted NAFTA, reduced social programs for the poor and increased welfare for the rich?

The truth is that it is not that simple an argument to make, but this "Obama invoked Ronald Reagan" meme is increasingly trying to reduce the issue into a single slice of baloney. My comparison is at least as fair as the slice of baloney I am confronted with.

There is also some false material floating around the internet about what Obama actually said. This is what Obama said:

I don't want to present myself as some sort of singular figure. I think part of what's different are the times. I do think that for example the 1980 was different. I think Ronald Reagan changed the trajectory of America in a way that Richard Nixon did not and in a way that Bill Clinton did not. He put us on a fundamentally different path because the country was ready for it. I think they felt like with all the excesses of the 1960s and 1970s and government had grown and grown but there wasn't much sense of accountability in terms of how it was operating. I think people, he just tapped into what people were already feeling, which was we want clarity we want optimism, we want a return to that sense of dynamism and entrepreneurship that had been missing.

And this the false quote that is being plastered all over the internet and attributed to Obama, although he actually never said it:

"When the country was so sick of a blue state president, Carter, Reagan was able to tap into it by being 100% red-state," said Obama. "Reagan knew the electorate was so sick of a blue-state president and blue-state policies, they we're willing to go 100% red. Reagan didn't mince words. He ran on a 100% red-state message. When Reagan won with a 100% red state message, Reagan had a 100% red-state mandate. Reagan knew transformation was all about mandate. Reagan ran a clear red-issue campaign. He never reached out to blue. Reagan was able to bowl over any resistance in Congress because he had a clear 100% red-state mandate. When you have a 100% red-state mandate, no one is surprised by what you do. Reagan, therefore, was able to get all the changes he wanted. Reagan was for those reasons...transformational."

Gee, I wonder who would spread this false quote around? Hmm... I wonder...

Thursday, January 24, 2008

A new study by the Center for Public Integrity and the Fund for Independence in Journalism found that the Bush administration issued 935 false statements about the threat from Iraq in the two years following 9/11. President Bush "led with 259 false statements, 231 about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq." Think Progress

WASHINGTON (AP) A study by two nonprofit journalism organizations found that President Bush and top administration officials issued hundreds of false statements about the national security threat from Iraq in the two years following the 2001 terrorist attacks.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

NBC TV series "Law & Order" star and Former Tennesee senator Fred Thompson has dropped out of the Republican race for President. He states that he is grateful for the encouragement and support of his party, and hopes to continue to spread the Republican message of hope through a series of late-night speaking engagements hosted by GOP Chairman Ron Popeil.

Monday, January 21, 2008

Wonderland [ 2 ] This was a british film set in South London that follows a series of characters over a single weekend. When I looked up the film on the internet, I was surprised by some of the press that the film got.

For starters, all of the reviews kept comparing the movie to a Robert Altman film, which is perhaps somewhat true in a sort of a distant stylistic sense - Nevertheless, while I watched the film I never once felt like I was watching a Robert Altman film. The film had it's own unique, quirky style.

Also, reviews like this one in Salon gave the film terrible marks for the filmmaker's efforts. The review states, "Michael Winterbottom doggedly excavates the innate sadness of his characters -- to the point of numbing his audience," and "Its misery is worked out in so much filigree that you're more aware of the story's contrivances than you are of the individuals' suffering."

I found these reviews horribly unfair. The film was not really that sad, nor does it seem overly contrived to me. It was very much like a story of real life. Also, the ending was upbeat. I think that this particular reviewer is probably just in love with her own ability to throw around negative words in an overly haughty fashion.

I quite liked the film. It was a delightful peek into the lives of several ordinary people. There was not a lot of character development in the film, but there was not really meant to be. The story takes place over a short period of two days. The film is inteded to be a slice of life, not a dramatic lifetime saga.

renaissanc1

Renaissance [ 2,3,4,5 ] Wow! A cop movie set in the future! That's never been done before!

OK, so I'm being a little sarcastic. This is an "animated" film set in Paris in the year 2054. The story is about Inspector Barthelemy Karas' relentless investigation into the disappearance of an important and mysterious cosmetics scientist. (Jeepers!)

Though set in France, the version that I watched must have been watching the English translation of the film, because the actors kept using consonants. Also, there is a bit more noir in the visuals of this detective story than you would normally see in a live action cop movie, French or otherwise.

Now that I have made my self-imposed rant against all things rotoscoped and not properly animated, I must say that I really enjoyed this film. The art direction was extra dark and creepy, and the starkness of the images made the visuals very strong.

Every cop movie cliché in the book was employed throughout the film, but I didn't mind at all. The story was supposed to be like a comic book, and it was indeed very much like a comic book - deliciously like a comic book.

I especially liked the invisible corporate ninja guys, and the blatent usage of the standard science fiction film cliché a beatiful female scientist (and her beatiful sister) caught in a mysterious web of intrigue while wearing go go boots.

Some parts of the plot were kind of muddy, but the characters were interesting and the ending tied up the story nicely. I liked it!

At a press conference today unveiling the stimulus proposal, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) justified the conservative plan to give tax breaks to corporations — instead of working Americans — by arguing that people actually like working long hours:

"I am so proud to be from the state of Minnesota. We're the workingest state in the country, and the reason why we are, we have more people that are working longer hours, we have people that are working two jobs."

Bachmann's version of the American Dream is apparently working two full-time jobs and struggling to get by.

"Workingest"?!?!

According to RH Reality Check, Rep. Michele Bachmann has also authored a new bill that would specifically authorize states to use Temporary Assistance to Needy Family (TANF) funds to provide "alternative-to-abortion" services that would funnel money to anti-abortion advocacy groups.

Diane Sawyer (ABC): Britney Spears has hired her new paparazzi boyfriend as her personal bodyguard to fend off television psychologist Dr Phil! Spears is inconsolable and may even be suicidal, so she has agreed to talk with kids about teen pregnancy!

Dr. Zira, I must caution you. Experimental brain surgery on these creatures is one thing, and I'm all in favor of it. But to suggest that we can learn anything about the simian nature from a study of man is sheer nonsense. Man is a menace, a walking pestilence. He eats up his food supply in the forest, then migrates to our green belts and ravages our crops. The sooner he is exterminated, the better. It's a question of simian survival.